Moms get treated like royal-tea

The Macomb Daily/DAVID DALTON
Nicole Connaire of Grosse Pointe Park and her daughter Meaghan, 3, watch in wide-eyed wonder as Disney princesses entertain at a Mother’s Day Princess Tea held Saturday at the Box Theater in Mount Clemens.

What better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than to treat mom like royalty?

Mothers, grandmothers, daughters, aunts and friends all got the royal treatment Saturday at a Mother’s Day Princess Tea held at the Box Theater in Mount Clemens.

With youngsters dressed in their finest princess attire — from Disney’s Ariel to Cinderella to Belle — the ladies gathered at tables fit for a king … or queen. They dined on fresh strawberries and pastries, chilled berry soup, and tea sandwiches, of course, filled with chicken salad, turkey pesto, cucumbers and Ariel’s seafood salad.

And what’s a tea without tea? Guests had their choice of pink tea (lemonade) or grown-up black tea, poured into dainty cups by Box Theater operator John Forlini.

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The royal guests also found pink or purple tiaras at their places, complete with “jewels” they could stick on for decorations, and there were princess stickers and royal lollipops.

“I can’t think of a better way to spend Mother’s Day,” said Debi Hosler of Harrison Township, who came with her daughter Nicole Connaire and princess granddaughters Gillian, 10, and Meaghan, 3, of Grosse Pointe Park.

Sleeping Beauty, aka Gracie Martin, 4, surprised her mom Melissa with an invitation to the tea party … almost. “Gracie told me about the surprise in detail a couple of days ago,” laughed the Armada mom who left daughter Amelia, 1, home with dad Eric (who actually arranged the surprise).

Gracie got her own surprise when Ella Vertin, 3, walked in wearing the same pink Sleeping Beauty dress. Ella’s favorite princess is Cinderella, but “she wore out her Cinderella dress,” said mom Kelle Vertin of Chesterfield Township. “Every day Ella asked about the princess tea.”

They were joined at the event by grandmother Barbara Lingenfelter of Fair Haven — she sported the letter N on her crown for “Nana” — and another granddaughter Nalia Lingenfelter, 9, who came as Jasmine from Disney’s “Aladdin.”

Not yet impressed with the princess theme — although dressed in pink ruffles with floral headband — was Elizabeth Penz, 3 months. She sat quietly at the table in the arms of mother Shannon Penz of Bloomfield Hills, before going on to Aunt Bridget Leary and then grandmother Pat Leary. In the princess mode, however, was big sister Rebecca, 2, who wore a “fancy red dress” with red shoes.

And the royal treatment didn’t end there: Thanks to the magic of Enchanted Tales Entertainment, costumed Disney princesses Cinderella, Ariel and Belle appeared to entertain the 43 royal guests. The afternoon ended appropriately with a royal parade.

“It was a really special day before Mother’s Day,” Barbara Lingenfelter said.